The Immortal Ianto Jones
by idontlikegravy
Summary: When Ianto returns from the dead, Jack is too happy to question it but when he realises the truth he must call upon an old friend for help...
1. Death Comes as the Beginning

_Disclaimer: None of it is mine, not one little bit, this is written for fun not profit._

**Death Comes as the Beginning**

_**Six months ago**_

_Jack kissed Ianto for the longest time; beyond his own need for breath, as if he could kiss Ianto back to life. But he couldn't. Since Abbadon had devoured so much of the vortex energy that kept Jack alive, he didn't seem to have any spare anymore. But right now he would have traded the world to be able to bring Ianto back to him. Suddenly he felt Ianto jerk under him and fall back from the kiss with a gasp. Shocked, Jack pulled back to look down upon a living, breathing Ianto Jones._

_Jack didn't believe in miracles, but right now it seemed like they'd received one. Ianto was alive and whole; the gunshot that had killed him had gone, leaving nothing but a hole in Ianto's shirt and some blood. Ianto looked down, confused, and pulled at the hole before looking up at Jack and grinning. Jack grinned himself and grabbed Ianto for another kiss._

*-*

_**Three Days Ago**_

_It should have been a standard Weevil hunt, one of Ianto and Jack's little outings in the sewers of Cardiff. It was the first time they'd been on one since Ianto came back from the dead, but otherwise everything had seemed normal. Only when they cornered the creature did they realise that this was no ordinary Weevil._

"_If I didn't know better, I'd say it was rabid," Ianto commented, staring in fascination at the slavering Weevil ten feet away. _

"_Or on something. Some kind of steroid would be my guess," Jack answered._

_They both had their tranquiliser guns and Weevil mace raised, but Jack was beginning to think this was a bag and tag situation. He slowly lowered the tranq-gun back to its holster and reached for his service revolver instead. Before he could clear the gun though, the Weevil snarled and launched itself at the nearest warm body, in this instance being Ianto._

"_No!" Jack cried out. Not again, it was too soon. He aimed his gun at the creature, trying to get a clear shot. He was afraid he'd hit Ianto, but if he didn't shoot soon it would be too late anyway. Jack held his breath and fired._

_The silence that followed seemed to last forever to Jack. But then he heard Ianto breathing, although it was ragged and shallow. With a grunt of effort Jack rolled the dead Weevil off Ianto and knelt beside him. _

_Ianto was in bad shape, the Weevil had torn a nasty and deep looking wound in his left shoulder. Jack raised him up and pulled off his suit jacket to get a better look. Once he did, he saw that the wound was not as bad as he first thought. Glad of that, he gingerly pulled aside the tatters of Ianto's shirt and looked at the wound._

_Jack couldn't help but gasp as he examined Ianto's shoulder. Ianto craned his neck, trying to see how bad the damage was, but his neck was sore from where the Weevil had crashed into him._

"_What's wrong? Is it bad?" Ianto asked. He kept his tone calm, but Jack could hear a note of panic in it. Jack didn't answer, but instead pulled Ianto's shirt open. "Jack, not now!" Ianto said with a smirk, but Jack didn't respond._

_Jack couldn't believe what he was seeing. He was suddenly aware that he should be assuring Ianto, so he turned his attention back to the Welshman._

"_Sorry, I…I'm not sure how to explain this one, Ianto Jones. But, I can tell you that you're going to be fine, and you'll live a long and healthy life," Jack said, and broke into a warm and honest smile that he hoped would reassure Ianto. It seemed to do the trick, and Ianto smiled back. Jack helped him to his feet and handed him his jacket._

_His gun was still in his right hand, so Ianto automatically reached out with his left hand. As his fingers closed around the jacket he stopped, but from the look on his face Jack could tell it was surprise, not pain that stopped him._

"_It doesn't hurt. I must be in shock," Ianto said._

"_Not exactly. Take a look."_

_Ianto looked at his shoulder. Puzzled, he pulled his shirt off his shoulder again, and gasped at what he saw. The shoulder was undamaged, completely healed._

"_But it attacked me, I felt it bite me," Ianto stammered, placing a hand on the shoulder. "There's blood here. I was injured, but now I'm not. Jack…" he trailed off, but the questioning look he gave Jack made his meaning clear. Jack shook his head._

"_This isn't my doing. I've been very stupid I'm afraid, Ianto Jones. I was so damn happy to have you back that I never stopped to question why. Come on, we need to get back to the Hub. I've got a call to make."_

*-*

_**Now**_

"Well?" Jack asked and placed a cup of coffee in front of his visitor.

"You were right to call me. He's one of us," the visitor replied. Jack sighed.

A really selfish part of him was happy to hear the news. But another part was sorry for Ianto, for everything that this information meant for the young Welshman's life.

"Did you tell him?" he asked as he sat down.

"Not yet. I thought you might want to do it."

Jack nodded thoughtfully.

"Thank you. So, what now?"

"Now? Well, I'm guessing Ianto won't leave Cardiff, or you," the visitor replied with a smirk. "So I guess you'll finally get what you want, Jack Harkness. After ninety years, Amanda Darieux is joining Torchwood."


	2. Tools of the Trade

**Tools of the Trade**

"I'm sorry darling, I just don't like guns," Amanda drawled, one eyebrow raised in contempt at the weapon Ianto was holding out to her. Ianto sighed.

"Amanda, please. It's the standard issue service weapon to all Torchwood personnel. If you won't carry it, you at least have to sign for it and keep it in your desk," he explained. Amanda pouted, but she stepped forward to sign the clipboard Ianto had in his other hand.

"I've managed for a thousand years without one," she commented as she signed.

"Yes, but you didn't work for Torchwood then. And if you want to keep our…_status_ a secret from the rest of the team, you need to avoid dying," Ianto said. He refrained from rolling his eyes, but Amanda could hear in his voice that he wanted to. She gave him a peck on the cheek and flashed him a smile.

"Speaking of our _status_," she said, amusement colouring her voice, "There's a weapon we need to be finding for you."

"Um…actually, Jack said he would take care of that. I thought he told you," Ianto answered, suddenly uncomfortable. Amanda glowered at him. "Oh…well…um, he knows that it's traditionally the role of the teacher to find a suitable sword, but he said he knew exactly the right one…" Ianto stammered.

"You're cute when you're flustered," Amanda said, her glare melting into a smirk. "I'm sure whatever Jack has in mind is entirely appropriate."

"Oh you bet, sweetheart," Jack said from behind Ianto as he entered the Hub. He carried a long tube slung over his back, the kind fishermen carry their rods in. He placed it gently on the table in front of them and indicated to Ianto. "Go on, open it."

Amanda was amused to see that Jack looked like a kid on Christmas morning, and she couldn't be angry with him for getting his lover a sword. Ianto carefully pulled the end from the tube, reached gingerly inside and drew out a shining medieval looking sword.

"Hand and a half bastard; looks 14th century in design. Original?" Amanda asked, taking the sword from Ianto and weighing it up. It was a good length and weight for Ianto, and it had a balance that felt right in the hand. Amanda nodded her approval and handed it back to Ianto.

"Original," Jack confirmed. "It's been in the Torchwood archives, and when I knew Ianto needed a sword I took it to a friend to be made battle sharp again."

"The archives?" Ianto asked, still looking lovingly at the blade. "Jack, you don't mean that this…?"

"I do. I can think of nobody more suited to wield this blade," Jack replied with a smile. Ianto flushed with embarrasment. Confused, Amanda looked between the two.

"Okay, clearly I'm missing something here," she said. Ianto looked up at her apologetically.

"Legend says that this sword belonged to Owain Glyndwr," he informed her.

"Seriously?" Amanda was impressed.

"A noble blade, for a noble man," Jack confirmed. Ianto blushed again. "Plus, legend says that it's unbeatable."

"Legend says," Ianto emphasised. Jack grinned.

"Can't hurt though."


	3. Making the Team

_Thanks to aeron lanart for the beta._

_I don't own Highlander or Torchwood. If I did they'd be getting more than five bloody episodes this year! No harm intended, no profit made._

**Making the Team**

The sound of blades clashing against each other echoed along the corridor as Jack hurried along it. Amanda and Ianto had taken to practising in an empty storeroom deep in the bowels of the archives, away from Gwen's inquisitive eyes, but today Jack was cursing that it was so far from the Hub.

"From now on, one of you bring a com down here with you," he panted as he came through the door. The two Immortals stopped their sparring and looked at the immortal.

Despite the serious reason for his arrival, Jack couldn't help but use the moments as he caught his breath to appreciatively take in how good Amanda looked in the tight clothes she was wearing, and take the opportunity to admire the curve of Ianto's recently acquired musculature, for once not covered by a suit.

"What's wrong, sir?" Ianto asked, eliciting a smile from Jack. Despite everything, Ianto still called Jack 'sir' during work and occasionally in the bedroom, and Jack was beginning to think of it as affectionate.

"Couple of Blowfish popped up near St David's," he explained.

"On a Saturday night?" Ianto exclaimed, wide-eyed. He had already sheathed his sword and begun to walk forward. "It'll be bedlam."

"Yup," Jack confirmed as Ianto reached him and they began walking back up the corridor.

"Do you think there'll be civilian casualties?" Amanda asked as she fell into stride with them. Jack laughed.

"Not likely. Valley girls, closing time on a Saturday night in Cardiff? By the time we get there, all that will be left of those Blowfish will be sushi."

*-*

"So," Gwen said with a sly smile as they came back into the Hub. "Amanda survived her first case. Deserves celebration, that."

Jack and Ianto followed her in, with Amanda close behind, trying to maintain her dignity. This was a feat, as she was currently covered in bits of fishy alien entrails, but she somehow managed it.

"Oh, darling," she drawled "Don't go to any trouble on my account. Coffee will be fine."

Ianto stifled a snigger behind his hand and Jack smirked, but they both stopped when Gwen shot them a filthy look. Jack motioned to Ianto and the two disappeared towards Jack's office.

Gwen stood with her hands on her hips, eyeing the newest member of Torchwood suspiciously. She hadn't been happy to return from holiday to discover Amanda in the Hub, and, worse yet, Jack and Ianto seemed to trust her implicitly. She was fairly certain that Amanda and Jack had history together but, given Jack's track record, that made things worse, not better.

Amanda pretended to be oblivious to the scrutiny and headed down towards the showers.

"I'm just going to get cleaned up," she called over her shoulder. "If Ianto's making, a latte would be divine."

Gwen nearly growled in frustration. Not only was this woman swanning about like she owned the Hub, now she was insulting her coffee making skills! She stomped up the stairs to Jack's office and burst through the door.

"Jack, that woman is driving me crazy!"

"Gwen, calm down. What's wrong?" Jack replied. Ianto sat on the corner of Jack's desk and stared at Gwen. He started to smirk, but Gwen shot that down with a glare.

"I just…well I…" this time Gwen actually did grunt in frustration. "Look, I come back and this woman is here, acting like you've known her for years, and you both act like it too! I just don't get why she's here or why you trust her so much."

"Amanda's a wonderful person, Gwen, and a great asset to the team. And, yes we trust her. You just haven't had a chance to get to know her yet," Jack replied. "Just give it some time, you'll see."

Gwen just stood there, hands on hips and looked at Jack sceptically, but he had no more to say so eventually she gave up and returned to her desk.

"I'm not comfortable lying to Gwen, sir," Ianto began. Jack held up a hand to stop him.

"I know, but we've been over this, Ianto. Telling Gwen only puts her in danger. If you or Amanda gets in a situation where we have no choice, then we'll reveal the truth. But for now, it's for her own good that she stays ignorant," he explained and gently patted Ianto's knee. Ianto pulled a face and stood up.

"It doesn't mean I have to like it, Jack," he said and left the office.

*-*

A few days later, Jack and Ianto had gone on a Weevil hunt, what Owen used to call 'foreplay in the sewers' much to everyone's disgust, leaving Gwen and Amanda alone in the Hub. They were sat at their desks, Gwen staring intently at her screen and pretending that she wasn't studiously ignoring the fact that Amanda was currently reading this month's Vogue, when the Rift alarm sounded.

Amanda looked up from her magazine and threw a questioning look at Gwen, who was already on her feet and picking up her gun.

"Rift activity. Jack and Ianto are too far away, we should investigate," Gwen explained. Amanda didn't move from her seat. "Together," Gwen added, making shooing gestures toward the exit. With a sigh, Amanda rose and headed toward the door. "Gun?" Gwen prompted.

Amanda rolled her eyes before heading back to her desk to pick up the offending weapon, and then the two women went up to the surface.

They arrived at the site of the activity about five minutes later; it was late Wednesday night, going into Thursday morning, so the Newport Road was quiet and Torchwood didn't care about speed cameras. The retail park where the Rift had opened was deserted; there was no sign of life beyond the neon lights of the 24hr drivethru MacDonalds in the next section of the park. The two got out and looked around, but saw and heard nothing out of the ordinary.

"Maybe nothing came through?" Amanda suggested as a scream split the night air.

"We're never that lucky," Gwen commented as the two women ran toward the source of the scream. Gwen drew her gun and indicated that Amanda should do the same, but Amanda merely laid a ready hand on her holster. Gwen made a mental note of that, but now was not the time to comment on it. Later she might point out to the newbie that if you hesitate in Torchwood you end up dead.

They rounded the corner of the building and spotted a young girl, dressed in a MacDonalds uniform, clearly on her way to or from work, lying on the ground. Standing over her was her exact double, even down to her clothes. The double had been leaning down towards the girl, but looked up at the approach of Torchwood. Its eyes flashed red and it bared fangs that were definitely not human.

"Oh, marvellous. A bloody Nostrovite. I just hope it's not a female," Gwen said with a sigh and opened fire. The creature let out a feral growl and charged towards Gwen, despite taking a full clip of Gwen's gun. "Oh crap, it's female."

As the Nostrovite closed the distance between them, Gwen reloaded her gun and began to empty another clip into it. Amanda had drawn her weapon and was firing too, but neither gun was having any effect on the Nostrovite. It charged down Gwen, knocking her to the ground, winding her and sending her gun skittering across the tarmac.

The Nostrovite leaned pinned Gwen's arms to the floor, it was useless to struggle, the creature was too strong. She couldn't hear Amanda, nor see her in her peripheral vision, she only hoped that the newbie had a plan and hadn't abandoned her to her fate. The Nostrovite began to lean in, its jaws widening in anticipation, saliva dripping down its teeth and onto Gwen's chest. Something made it suddenly sit upright and, as it did, a blade came seemingly from nowhere and severed its head from its shoulders.

The dead Nostrovite was shoved to one side, and a hand reached down to help Gwen up. Gwen stood and saw Amanda, holding a sword in her other hand.

"Thanks. What made you think of that?" Gwen asked, looking down at the corpse.

"Beheading works on most things," Amanda replied.

Gwen made a mental note to add that to the list of things she needed to talk to Amanda about, along with her reason for carrying a sword about. But right now, they were still on the job.

"Come on then, let's get the tarp from the car," she instructed, heading back to the SUV.

"Tarp?"

"Tarpaulin, for the body. Torchwood isn't all glamour," Gwen said with a smile. Amanda indicated the Nostrovite blood on her clothes.

"I noticed. Now, Gwen, darling, it's becoming clear to me that I'm going to need a new wardrobe. You must show me all the good stores, first thing tomorrow," Amanda said with a smile that Gwen could tell was genuine so she returned the smile and grabbed Amanda by the arm.

"Amanda, it would be my pleasure."


	4. Each Other's Courage

**A/N:** WARNINGS! _This Chapter contains character details that are a spoiler if you haven't seen Children of Earth. Also this chapter has h/c and Jack/Ianto, though nothing that wouldn't be on an episode of Torchwood._

**Each Other's Courage**

Jack was mildly concerned when Ianto disappeared from the Hub without saying a word. Ever since the business with Lisa, Ianto had made a habit of announcing when he was going to the Archives, or up to the Tourist Information office, or sometimes even just to the loo. It had become a bit of a running joke between them all, and it had eventually eased Ianto's guilt on the subject, but the habit had remained.

So when he didn't return after half an hour, Jack began to get really worried. He knew Ianto hadn't left the building, he'd gone downstairs, but Amanda wasn't with him and there was no archiving that needed attention so Jack couldn't think what was taking him so long.

After forty-five minutes, Jack went looking for him.

He found him in the room that he and Amanda practised in, with his jacket and shirt off; working through some basic Tai-chi Amanda had taught him to focus his mind. Jack stood in the doorway, watching him, until Ianto had finished the kata and come to a standstill.

"Problem?" he asked, startling Ianto.

"How long have you been stood there?" Ianto asked as he fetched his shirt and put it back on. Jack crossed the room to him.

"Long enough to see that something's bothering you. Talk to me, please?"

Ianto looked at him for a moment or two, seeming to weigh up his options.

"How do you do it, Jack? Keep going, keep living," he said finally.

Jack released the tension in his muscles that had been building since Ianto left the Hub. He'd been expecting this conversation, sooner or later. In fact, he'd been surprised that Ianto hadn't brought any of it up sooner.

"What choice do I have? All I can do is live," he replied, but he regretted the flippancy of the answer almost immediately. Ianto looked almost wounded by it, and Jack realised that his usual dismissive response wasn't good enough here. "You mean how do I _live_, right? I don't, not always. There have been times when all I could manage was to exist, when I thought I'd seen too much, lost too much. Having people like you in my life helps."

"And when you lose them?"

"It's hard, I won't lie to you, and it doesn't get any easier. But I think that the good times are worth the suffering. Because, Ianto Jones, the alternative is even more unbearable," Jack answered softly and caressed Ianto's cheek. Ianto leaned into it and brushed his mouth against Jack's hand.

Ianto's cheek was wet and Jack realised with a start that Ianto had been crying. He wiped the tears away and leaned in to kiss Ianto gently on the mouth, a chaste kiss of comfort, before wrapping his arms around him.

"I have family, you know," Ianto said. "Or rather, I don't. All these years, and I'm not my father's son. My sister isn't even related to me."

The existence of a sister was news to Jack. He knew that Ianto had a family, but he never really thought about them. Amanda had told him that all Immortals were orphans, which made a kind of sense to Jack, as did the fact that Immortals couldn't have children. He tried not to think about it too much, but the thought of his daughter growing old and dying was too much to bear some days.

"Blood isn't the only thing that makes a family, Ianto," Jack told him.

"No, it doesn't. But I'm going to have to sever my ties with them, aren't I? Even if they could accept that I'm Immortal, I'd have to watch them grow old and die. I'm going to lose everyone I care about," Ianto said. His voice was quiet, Ianto never shouted, but Jack could hear in his voice that he wanted to, and Jack couldn't blame him.

"Not everyone," Jack said quietly. Ianto initiated the kiss this time, and it was hard and urgent and needy. Jack kissed him back, letting him know that they were both very much alive, hands seeking to pull the shirt back off again, and then working their way down to Ianto's trousers. He felt Ianto's hands tug at his braces and begin unbuttoning his shirt.

They were here, and now, and _alive_.


	5. Sideshows

_Tiverton, Devon, 1925_

"Come one, come all! See the wonders of the world laid before you!"

Amanda smiled as she approached the travelling show and heard the caller's spiel. She'd heard them all in her years with the circus but she always loved to hear that peculiar cadence and rhythm that belonged to them and them alone. It was though there were some Spirit of the Caller that possessed each and every one of them come showtime. Sure, the words might change, but the music, the magic; those remained the same throughout history and all over the world.

She paid her tuppence and took her ticket before stepping into the small field where the show had set up for the week. She wandered around between the stages like the rest of the audience, but she was looking for one particular act.

She had been travelling with a circus in France when rumours began to appear. They would pass through towns where another, smaller troupe were just closing up and they'd socialise, passing on news to each other. Some of these carnies had heard of an amazing new act.

There was a man calling himself the Undying Man, who apparently shot himself on stage. Nobody could tell how he did it, and everyone who'd seen it agreed it was a hell of an act. It was only a matter of time before one of the major circuses heard about it and tried to get him for their show, so Amanda decided to get on the next boat to England.

And now she was walking around a field in Devon, looking for the Undying Man, all the time anticipating the Buzz of another Immortal. She was so busy trying to sense an Immortal that she walked past the Undying Man's stage without even pausing. It was only when she realised she'd completed the circuit that she turned round to try and locate the stage.

Curious, she walked back and watched the Undying Man. He seemed to pull a revolver, load it with bullets that were checked by a member of the audience and then fire it into various parts of his body.

_It's a trick,_ Amanda thought. _The audience member must be a plant, and the bullets are fake. He's definitely not Immortal._

Still, he was attractive, and it was a fantastic act. Even she had believed it for a moment. Amanda decided that she would wait and approach the man on the circus' behalf. Perhaps if she secured the Undying Man, her boss wouldn't be cross with her for disappearing without a word.

As the show was closing, Amanda saw the man slip offstage and she followed him. He was cleaning his gun when she approached.

"Show's over, sweetheart. If you want to see me again, you'll have to come back tomorrow," he said. His accent was American, and Amanda shelved that information away for later. He turned around and looked at her and Amanda suddenly felt like she was naked. He flashed her a wide grin, all teeth that were too perfect. "Then again, I could always make time for a private performance."

Amanda smiled back; flirtatious she knew.

"Your act is really good. What's the trick? Go on, you can tell me," Amanda said in a voice that was almost a purr. She approached him and laid one hand against his chest and then looked up into his eyes.

"No trick. I can't die," he said and his voice was so serious, so earnest that Amanda almost believed him. Almost, but he definitely wasn't Immortal. Suddenly he was all smiles again and he held out a hand to her. "Captain Jack Harkness, at your service."

Amused, Amanda took the offered hand and the Captain kissed her demurely on the hand.

"Amanda Duprés," she replied. The Captain's eyes widened in recognition.

"The Amazing Amanda! I saw you perform in Munich," Captain Harkness said. Amanda beamed, flattered to be recognised. But something nagged her at the back of her brain, something not quite right. "But…" Jack added, growing serious again and letting go of Amanda's hand. "That must have been your mother, right?"

And there it was. Amanda hadn't performed in Munich for twenty five years. But this man was surely only in his thirties.

"You would only have been a child, yet you remember her?" Amanda asked, taking a step back. She was suddenly very scared of what she may have stumbled into.

"I'm older than I look," Jack replied. Amanda looked into his eyes and she could recognise there the spirit of someone much older than his body. She nodded.

"I came here because I thought you were someone else. Now I see I was wrong, I'll leave. It was a pleasure to meet you, Captain Harkness."

With that, she turned and began to walk away, but his voice stopped her.

"Call me Jack, please. And don't go, not yet," Jack said and grabbed her gently by the wrist. Amanda didn't resist; instead she turned back to him. "I really can't die. I've been this way for fifty years now and I'm just so…."

"Ssh, dear boy," Amanda whispered and stepped closer to him. She wrapped one arm around his waist and freed the other from his grasp to trace the lines of his face with her hand. "I'm here now."

*-*

_The Hub, 2009_

"What made you confide in her, sir?" Ianto asked.

"Not sure, really. Maybe I recognised a kindred spirit?" Jack replied. "I'm certainly glad that I did."

"So am I," Ianto added with a chuckle. "So am I."

*-*

The events of _Children of Earth _in this universe can be found in the story **Whatever Remains**. I have kept it separate for those who choose not to read it as the events are still harrowing even with Ianto's Immortality.


	6. When the Grapes are Good

**A/N:** _This is part of The Immortal Ianto story, but set a hundred years or so ahead of the current timeline. Warning for Jack/Ianto (although does Jack/Ianto really need a warning?) in bed, but just lying there nekkid, nothing graphic._

**If the Grapes are Good**

"Why are we still doing this, Ianto?" Jack asked as he ducked behind a wall to join Ianto in his cover from the lasers being shot at them by twenty aliens that looked remarkably bovine.

Ianto wasn't entirely certain which 'this' Jack was referring to, but since they were currently in a firefight with cows from another dimension, he decided he meant fighting aliens.

"What else is there to do on a Wednesday night in Caerdydd?" he replied and fired blindly over the wall from his crouched position. Jack laughed and flashed one of the special smiles he reserved for Ianto, an honest one that reached his eyes, before he leaned around the end of the wall and opened fire, then ducked back to cover again.

"We're outnumbered, ten to one. I'm bored with this. Are you bored?" Jack asked with a wicked grin that Ianto knew all too well after a century with Jack. Ianto rolled his eyes in response.

"Suicide run it is then," he said, his voice dripping with snark. Jack clapped him on the back as they got to their feet. At a nod from Jack, the two began running toward the attackers, guns blazing.

The ploy worked, startling the aliens enough that Jack and Ianto were able to pick off two-thirds before the enemy began to return fire. The two men took hit after hit, but they kept firing.

Dimly, Ianto registered that Jack had fallen; Ianto's Immortal healing had kept him alive a little longer, long enough to despatch the remaining aliens before he, too, died.

Ianto awoke with a groan and looked over to find Jack already standing up and talking on the com to HQ. He waited until Jack was finished and then sat up.

"Morning, sunshine," Jack called. Ianto scowled at him.

"Can we at least try to win one without ruining a vintage suit?" Ianto bemoaned, pulling at the tatters of his jacket to demonstrate.

He still preferred the cut of 21st century suits, and they were getting hard to come by. He'd asked Jack several times how he never seemed to run out of RAF uniforms, but all the answer he got was "51st century fabric, practically indestructible," and Ianto wasn't sure whether or not Jack was joking.

The team arrived and the bodies were safely removed to the Hub, and then Jack and Ianto went back to the Hub, cleaned off the blood and put on clean clothes, and then promptly took them off again. Lying wrapped in each other's arms in their quarters, Jack asked again,

"Why are we still doing this, Ianto?"

This time, Ianto knew exactly what Jack was referring to, but he decided to be purposely obtuse.

"Because we're Torchwood, sir," he answered, calling Jack what had ceased to be a formality and become a pet name a long time ago.

"Oh, _anfarwol anwylyd__, _we're too old for games. I meant, why are _you_ still here?"

"If you don't know the answer to that, Jack, then you're an idiot," Ianto gently chided, fondness in his voice and in the caress he gave Jack's cheek as he spoke.

"I wouldn't blame you for leaving. I'm going to keep getting physically older; look I've already got grey hairs. In a century or two, I'll look like your father, and you'll look no different."

Ianto was shocked by the sudden show of insecurity from Jack. He knew that most of what Jack showed the outside world was bravado, but he was always stunned to be let inside that shell, even after all their time together.

"So I'll be your toyboy. I always have been," Ianto joked and snuggled closer in Jack's arms.

That provoked a laugh from Jack, but he grew quiet and serious again almost immediately. He stroked Ianto's arm and Ianto could feel the calluses on his hand from Jack's revolver as they snagged on his skin. It was comforting, a reassurance that Jack was always going to be there, no matter how old he got.

"You can't tell me you haven't thought about this," Jack said, breaking into Ianto's musings.

That was true enough, Ianto had considered the implications of both his Immortality and Jack's immortality, but now was not the time for such maudlin thoughts. Right here, right now, they had each other and they had eternity.

"Jack, if there's one thing I've learned from Amanda, aside from keeping my head and lock picking; it's to live in the moment. Just enjoy what we have, don't question it."

Jack sat up a little in the bed and examined Ianto, a look of wonder on his face.

"When did you get so wise, Ianto Jones?"

Ianto smiled and pulled Jack close again, a look of smug satisfaction on his face.

"I was always this wise, sir. Have you only just noticed?"

**A/N:** _The title is from an ancient Egyptian proverb: If the grapes are good, then the wine improves with age_


	7. Moving On

**A/N:**_This is set after the events of Children of Earth as described in my fic **Whatever Remains**. _

**Moving On**

Ianto stood at the edge of the pit that had once been the Hub and stared down into the ruins. He wasn't normally one for melancholy brooding; Jack did enough of that for the both of them, but the torn and empty hole in the earth echoed the way he currently felt.

It had taken months just to clear the debris; it would probably take years to sift through it all for anything worth salvaging. The deeper levels had been more or less untouched and Ianto was grateful for the small mercy that the storage levels had been left undisturbed. He was glad the blast hadn't touched Tosh and Owen; they'd been through enough.

The cleanup was being made harder because at the moment Torchwood was just him and Jack. Amanda had to leave to help a friend in Paris shortly after the 456. Ianto had a feeling she had other reasons to depart, but he didn't blame her. Part of him wanted to leave, to get some distance from Jack, Torchwood and the whole bloody mess, but right now Jack needed him.

Gwen had taken her maternity leave, after much arguing, and while Rhys had been very helpful with the cleanup they could hardly expect him to go chasing Weevils in Gwen's place.

Not that there were many Weevils to chase. Cardiff had been suspiciously and blissfully quiet, as though the Rift and those that came through it were afraid to piss off Torchwood. Ianto couldn't blame them, Jack had made it very clear just what Torchwood was willing to do to protect Earth.

Jack had reverted to the 'mardy bastard' mode that Ianto had come to think of as his default setting. Their relationship was currently one of needy, desperate sex, something Ianto was happy to provide if that was what Jack required. But they would have to deal sooner rather than later. Neither of them was big on dealing with the past, but Stephen's death was not something Jack could brush aside in his usual way.

And that was a big part of the problem. Jack buried his emotions, pretended things had never happened, and one by one all the bad events of his long life had eaten away at him. Just in the few years Ianto had known him, Jack had survived more than most men experience in a lifetime. Nobody could come through completely unscathed, not even the indestructible Captain Jack Harkness.

Perhaps it would be good for both of them to get away for a while, Ianto mused. Cardiff could cope without them for a little while. Then a thought occurred to him and he smiled as he pulled his mobile out and hit a number on speed dial.

"Martha? I need a favour…"

Ianto stood outside the abandoned Customs House that had become Torchwood's temporary base of operations and watched as a battered Land Rover approached down Paget Rd.

It had felt strange at first to move to Penarth; but Torchwood had built a secondary base there for emergencies such as the one they found themselves in. It suited their needs to be out of the city at the moment but they were still close enough to get anywhere in an emergency. Ianto did need to have a quiet word with the council about the speed bumps though. Since the loss of the SUV they'd been making do with Ianto's own car and the sporty suspension on his Citroen transferred every bump and pothole.

He suddenly got a tickling sensation at the base of his spine, like the feeling he got near another Immortal, but subtly different. Scanning the crowd near the Barrage for signs of someone else looking around but finding none, he realised he must be feeling the presence of someone who had the potential to become Immortal. His heart skipped as he wondered if it might be one of the occupants of the Land Rover but then dismissed the thought. It would be a ridiculous coincidence; far more likely that it was one of the tourists milling about, or one of the many joggers.

He continued to watch the 4x4 as it pulled into the public car park and stopped in the nearest empty space, halfway across the car park. Mickey got out and purchased a ticket before he returned to the vehicle and stuck the ticket to the windscreen. Ianto chuckled as a London accent carried across to his position.

"Did you hear that? The ticket machine just spoke to me. In Welsh."

"Mickey, you've crossed time and space, and you find that amazing?" Martha asked with a chuckle.

"Nah, suspicious," Mickey replied as he shut his door and locked the car.

Ianto started across to where they'd parked and gave a little wave when Martha spotted him. She beamed and jogged across the distance between them before throwing her arms around Ianto in a hug.

"Oh, it's so good to see you!" she declared.

"Thank you for coming," Ianto replied warmly. He pulled back a bit from Martha's embrace and nodded at Mickey, who nodded back. "Let's go for a walk," he suggested, gently guiding Martha in the direction of the Barrage.

They walked in amicable silence along the Barrage for a few minutes until they found a secluded bench where they could talk. They sat and looked out across the Bay at Cardiff and Ianto felt a stab of guilt for wanting to leave the city. But he knew he was leaving her in safe hands.

"Have you decided where you're going yet?" Martha asked. Ianto shook his head.

"We won't leave until after Gwen's had the baby," he explained. He was worried that Jack might find it hard to be around a child, but he also hoped that the promise of new life could be something good to focus on, remind them all why they did the job.

Martha nodded and then seemed to think about something.

"You know… there's a way for you to get away and not miss a single minute," she said. Mickey made a disgusted snorting noise.

"Time travel," he muttered. Ianto shook his head.

"Jack's VM doesn't work anymore."

"I didn't mean Jack's space hopper, I meant a Ferrari," Martha said and laughed. When the boys didn't join in she looked embarrassed. "Sorry, private joke. I meant that Jack needs the Doctor."

Ianto felt like an idiot for not having thought of that himself. He had once felt jealous of Jack's affection for the Doctor, but since meeting the Timelord he'd realised just how petty that feeling was. Martha's suggestion was actually pretty obvious now Ianto thought about it. Mickey must have misread Ianto's expression, however, as he commented,

"I'm not the Doctor's biggest fan, but it's a good idea."

"How do we even know he'll come? He wasn't here when we needed him," Ianto said with a note of bitterness. "If he'd been here then…" he trailed off and shook his head. He knew there was no use thinking like that. Martha laid a gentle hand on his arm.

"I know the Doctor; if he could have helped, then he would have been here," she said. "I'm certain he would want to help Jack. You can be gone as long as you need, and the Doctor can bring you back to the very minute you left."

Ianto smirked; he'd read accounts of how the Doctor didn't always arrive exactly when and where he'd intended. But Martha and Mickey could hold the fort if they were gone for long. Ianto thought Jack might be angry with the Doctor for not helping with the 456; but at least then he would be directing his anger at someone other than himself.

"Can you get hold of him?" Ianto asked. Martha produced her mobile and waggled it at him. "That still works?"

"As far as I know, haven't tried it since the Daleks though. Now, we need to make it look accidental; Jack won't appreciate us organising things behind his back."

"Doesn't the Doctor have to recharge the TARDIS from the Rift?" Mickey suggested. Martha nodded.

"Perfect!" she said and rewarded him with a kiss that caused Mickey to beam. "Okay, Ianto, when and where do you want him?"


End file.
